More of Christ this Christmas

This past Christmas was more Christ-centered than many previous ones. December is an especially busy month for most, so it is easy to relax our grip upon the cross. This December we made a concerted effort to keep that from happening. The end result was that our view of the Gospel became even more clear, conversations were richer, and fellowship was more meaningful. Here's a list of seven things that we did.

7. MAINTAIN A STEADY DIET OF THE PURITANS. I (Mitch) resolved to read through a daily devotional of the Puritans for 31 days. Though the readings weren't specifically about Christmas, they were God-centered and Christ-exalting. On more than one occasion God used the Puritans to lift my gaze away from myself and toward Christ.

6. WEEKLY ADVENT. Each Sunday we lit another candle on our Advent wreath and worked our way through a little Advent book. We've recently found a terrific book entitled "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus," which we're excited about using next year (You can browse this book online).

5. SOVEREIGN GRACE CD. We loved this new CD from Sovereign Grace. The content and music is incredible. It really kept us focused upon Christ. Check out this link (to the left) and listen to some of the songs on the CD. It was a great investment of $8.

4. CLARIFYING THE GOSPEL. Explaining the Gospel to children is one of the best exercises to clarify it in your own mind. We continue to study the gospel, teach it to our kids, and talk about it to one another. This has proven to be extremely beneficial in applying it to our lives.


3. FAMILY WORSHIP ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. After eating breakfast and unwrapping the presents we worshipped Christ the King. We used a worship guide that we found online and modified it for family worship. (It should be posted on our church's website soon.)

2. DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS. Another new thing we incorporated into our family was a countdown to Christmas Day. By modifying a calendar that Kim found at a Dollar store, we were able to turn each morning into a time of family worship. We cut out little cards to stick in each daily slot. On the cards were written a hymn number and a Scripture passage. The kids took turns pulling out the card for each morning and finding the hymn. They really loved this.

1. THINKING THROUGH THE DEEP TRUTHS OF THE INCARNATION. This proved to be the most beneficial. I (Mitch) began to dig deeply into the greatest miracle of all--God becoming man. It was such a joy to search the Scriptures and various theologies in order to understand why and how God could become man. Most specifically, Packer and Grudem (right) served me well. Grudem also has a very condensed version of his Systematic Theology called Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know (take a look at the table of contents and first chapter). I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to pick it up and give it a try. It will be well worth your time--and your family's. As my mind and soul were refreshed, I was able to pass truth along to my family.